In one embodiment, the invention provides a stereoscopic imaging optical system assembly adapted to take images having parallaxes for stereoscopic observations, a stereoscopic imaging apparatus and an endoscope assembly.
So far, a stereoscopic imaging optical system adapted to take two images having different parallaxes for stereoscopic observations has been typically comprised of two imaging optical systems arranged in parallel (see Patent Publication 1). Patent Publication 2 discloses a microscopic optical system for enlarged observations wherein an optical system having a single center axis is located on the object side, and Patent Publication 3 discloses a stereoscopic imaging optical system for a binocular stereomicroscope.
Patent Publication 1: JP(A) 2012-113281
Patent Publication 1: JP(A) 6-175033
Patent Publication 2: JP(A) 2011-70119